- Email: [email protected]
Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 1973
586
BOOK REVIEWS
k ) ' o n t i e r s in N e u r o e n ~ k ) c r i n o h ) g y ,
1973, b y W . F. GANONG AND L. MARTINI ( E d s . ) , xi', i
4 3 8 p a g e s , 114 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , 26 t a b l e s , O x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s . L o n d o n . This is the third volume in this series concerned with the very important and rapidly developing branch of knowledge about the interaction between the central nervous and the endocrine systems. The volume has with great sensitivity been dedicated to the late Professor Geoffrey W. Harris who pioneered so much work in the neuro-endocrine field and the standard of most of the contributors is fully worthy of this dedication. Great care has obviously been taken by the editors to ensure a similarity of format in the various contributions, and this must even have been extended to the spelling--for how else would one find an English author spelling behaviour without a "'u"? As might be expected, most of the contributions are largely concerned with the neurophysiological or biochemical aspects of the various hypothalamic releasing or inhibiting factors, but there are very stimulating chapters of a more general character and two on some of the clinical aspects of the subject. The tendency so often found in review articles to have some thoughtless statement followed by a string of references, not all of which are very relevant, is not generally found in this volume, and it should be said that this is more the result of the quality of
Rehabilitation
Leistungsgeminderter
bericht, Kassel, 24-27 January, 1 illustration, 3 tables, Thieme,
ohne
1973. £9.1)1).
the authors than of the excellent inhibitory elli~ct of the Harvard system of giving references. However. occasional lapses occur, and probably the best example also contains an interesting variant o1" the "Publish first" syndrome to quote: ~'We ha~e previously reported (G. et al. 1972 b. c) tha! . . . . These results have been confirmed by H. & P. (1970, 1971), S. et al. (1970), B. el aL (1971 G}. H. et al. ( 1971 a ), J. et al. ( 1971 b), Von zur M. e/a/. (1970, 1971),'O. et al. (1971a), S. ct a/. (1971)and W. et al. (197I a).'" Most reviews within a subject which is expanding as rapidly as this one tend to be out of date, certainly for the subject specialist, by the time they are published. To some extent this has been avoided by having the contributors (who are leaders in the field) include some of their as yet unpublished work. The immense complexity of the subject clearly demands that it has to be approached from a variety of angles by people of different disciplines using often highly specialized techniques. For this reason the book does not make for uniformly easy reading, but it is well worth the effort for those of any discipline who wish to see how the fascinating story oi" the neuro-endocrine system is unfolding. G. A. SMAP.T
sichtbare
Organschiidigung
(Kongress-
1972), b y GISELA KROKOWSKI ( E d ) , x + 120 p a g e s , Stuttgart,
This, the proceedings of the Second Rehabilitation Congress, held in Kassel, W. Germany, in January 1972, under the auspices of the German Academy for Medical Education, and the State Medical Association of Hessen, attempts to define some of the problems in training staff for rehabilitation services and coordinating the various professions and organisations into a unified programme. The main points of discussion on the first theme are whether "rehabilitation" is a valid specialty in its own right, and if so, is it best practiced within departments of other specialties (e.g. internal medicine, orthopaedics) or within specialised rehabilitation centres. In general the feeling is in favour of the last. The coordination of the services is seen against the background of the complexity of organisations involved in health and social care in West Germany --Federal Ministries, State Departments, Health accident and pension insurances, etc. The last section of the book attempting to define the combined role of the departments from the viewpoint of the doctors working in them into what, for some reason.
1973, D M
29.80.
it calls a multidisciplinary alliance underlines the problem common to most systems, namely failure of interdepartmental communication. The sections on the roles of the various medical. para-medical and advisory professions in the rehabilitation team, and the special problems posed by chronic metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and brain damage, are given only cursory treatment, many of the writers contributing only about 500 words. As might be expected, very little new is said of the role of say a doctor or social worker, therapist or careers officer, in this space. As Jochheim comments in this opening address, in common with most developed countries, in Germany major deficiences in facilities in trained staff prevent the disabled from receiving even the help to which they are legally entitled. In posing some of the questions this book may have a value in stimulating discussion. The time required to unravel some of the language, and the price (about £5. for a paperback) make it an expensive stimulant. R. B..tONFS
BOOK REVIEWS
k ) ' o n t i e r s in N e u r o e n ~ k ) c r i n o h ) g y ,
1973, b y W . F. GANONG AND L. MARTINI ( E d s . ) , xi', i
4 3 8 p a g e s , 114 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , 26 t a b l e s , O x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s . L o n d o n . This is the third volume in this series concerned with the very important and rapidly developing branch of knowledge about the interaction between the central nervous and the endocrine systems. The volume has with great sensitivity been dedicated to the late Professor Geoffrey W. Harris who pioneered so much work in the neuro-endocrine field and the standard of most of the contributors is fully worthy of this dedication. Great care has obviously been taken by the editors to ensure a similarity of format in the various contributions, and this must even have been extended to the spelling--for how else would one find an English author spelling behaviour without a "'u"? As might be expected, most of the contributions are largely concerned with the neurophysiological or biochemical aspects of the various hypothalamic releasing or inhibiting factors, but there are very stimulating chapters of a more general character and two on some of the clinical aspects of the subject. The tendency so often found in review articles to have some thoughtless statement followed by a string of references, not all of which are very relevant, is not generally found in this volume, and it should be said that this is more the result of the quality of
Rehabilitation
Leistungsgeminderter
bericht, Kassel, 24-27 January, 1 illustration, 3 tables, Thieme,
ohne
1973. £9.1)1).
the authors than of the excellent inhibitory elli~ct of the Harvard system of giving references. However. occasional lapses occur, and probably the best example also contains an interesting variant o1" the "Publish first" syndrome to quote: ~'We ha~e previously reported (G. et al. 1972 b. c) tha! . . . . These results have been confirmed by H. & P. (1970, 1971), S. et al. (1970), B. el aL (1971 G}. H. et al. ( 1971 a ), J. et al. ( 1971 b), Von zur M. e/a/. (1970, 1971),'O. et al. (1971a), S. ct a/. (1971)and W. et al. (197I a).'" Most reviews within a subject which is expanding as rapidly as this one tend to be out of date, certainly for the subject specialist, by the time they are published. To some extent this has been avoided by having the contributors (who are leaders in the field) include some of their as yet unpublished work. The immense complexity of the subject clearly demands that it has to be approached from a variety of angles by people of different disciplines using often highly specialized techniques. For this reason the book does not make for uniformly easy reading, but it is well worth the effort for those of any discipline who wish to see how the fascinating story oi" the neuro-endocrine system is unfolding. G. A. SMAP.T
sichtbare
Organschiidigung
(Kongress-
1972), b y GISELA KROKOWSKI ( E d ) , x + 120 p a g e s , Stuttgart,
This, the proceedings of the Second Rehabilitation Congress, held in Kassel, W. Germany, in January 1972, under the auspices of the German Academy for Medical Education, and the State Medical Association of Hessen, attempts to define some of the problems in training staff for rehabilitation services and coordinating the various professions and organisations into a unified programme. The main points of discussion on the first theme are whether "rehabilitation" is a valid specialty in its own right, and if so, is it best practiced within departments of other specialties (e.g. internal medicine, orthopaedics) or within specialised rehabilitation centres. In general the feeling is in favour of the last. The coordination of the services is seen against the background of the complexity of organisations involved in health and social care in West Germany --Federal Ministries, State Departments, Health accident and pension insurances, etc. The last section of the book attempting to define the combined role of the departments from the viewpoint of the doctors working in them into what, for some reason.
1973, D M
29.80.
it calls a multidisciplinary alliance underlines the problem common to most systems, namely failure of interdepartmental communication. The sections on the roles of the various medical. para-medical and advisory professions in the rehabilitation team, and the special problems posed by chronic metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and brain damage, are given only cursory treatment, many of the writers contributing only about 500 words. As might be expected, very little new is said of the role of say a doctor or social worker, therapist or careers officer, in this space. As Jochheim comments in this opening address, in common with most developed countries, in Germany major deficiences in facilities in trained staff prevent the disabled from receiving even the help to which they are legally entitled. In posing some of the questions this book may have a value in stimulating discussion. The time required to unravel some of the language, and the price (about £5. for a paperback) make it an expensive stimulant. R. B..tONFS